Find your opportunity: Restaurant or café in East Garafraxa

Should I do this? · quick read Indication only

Promising — worth a closer look

75out of 100 · 9 of 12 points from 6 of 6 signals How scoring works

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Demand Favourable
Population +8.3% 2016–21 (county 7.3%, Ontario 5.8%) Verified fact
Why Favourable: +8.3% growth is at or above the county's 7.3% (Favourable) · 2 of 2 points

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Competition Favourable
1 restaurant or café businesses mapped (restaurants and cafes) vs about 3.5 expected at the county rate Indication only
Why Favourable: 1 restaurants and cafes mapped vs about 3.5 expected at the county rate (29%; Favourable is 70% or less) · 2 of 2 points

◐

Labour Neutral
Unemployment 8.7% (county 10%); 87.1% of workers commute out of town Verified fact
Why Neutral: unemployment 8.7% is not above the county's 10% (Neutral; Labour is never rated Watch) · 1 of 2 points

○

Space Watch
No reviewed listings fit $50,000 to $150,000 here Indication only
Why Watch: 0 of 0 reviewed listing(s) here fit your budget (Watch) · 0 of 2 points

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Funding Favourable
2 open or check-intake programs may fit Verified fact
Why Favourable: 2 open or check-intake program(s) match your type and stage (Favourable is 2+, Neutral 1, Watch 0) · 2 of 2 points

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Internet Favourable
100% of ISED map areas have 50/10 Mbps for most homes Verified fact
Why Favourable: 100% of ISED map areas have 50/10 Mbps for most homes (Favourable is 75%+, Neutral 40–74%, Watch under 40%) · 2 of 2 points

How this is worked out

Full scoring rules, sources and limits

This is an indication only: a quick summary of the figures on this page, not a forecast, market study or advice. Each of six signals is rated Favourable (2 points), Neutral (1) or Watch (0):

Demand: the community's 2016–21 population growth. At or above the county (7.3%) is Favourable; at or above Ontario (5.8%) is Neutral; below Ontario is Watch.
Competition: only businesses of your chosen type (for a restaurant or café: restaurants + cafés; not pubs or other food types). We compare how many are mapped with how many the community would have at the county-wide rate per resident. If fewer than 2 would be expected, the sample is too small and it says Not enough data. 70% of expected or fewer is Favourable; 70–130% Neutral; more than 130% Watch (crowded). "Anywhere in Dufferin" is always Not enough data.
Labour: unemployment above the county rate (more people looking for work) is Favourable; otherwise Neutral.
Space: at least one reviewed WhyDufferin listing that fits your budget is Favourable, none is Watch; if we have no reviewed listings at all it is Not enough data.
Funding: 2 or more open or check-intake programs matching your type and stage is Favourable, 1 Neutral, 0 Watch.
Internet: share of ISED map areas where most homes get 50/10 Mbps. 75% or more Favourable, 40–74% Neutral, under 40% Watch.

Signals with Not enough data are left out. The score is the points earned divided by the points possible, out of 100. If fewer than 4 signals have data, no score is shown. 67 or more reads "Promising", 45–66 "Mixed", under 45 "Challenging".

What your budget changes: for-sale listings priced above $50,000 to $150,000 are hidden and the Space signal counts only listings that fit; funding programs large enough to matter at your budget (a cap of at least 10% of its lower end) are listed first. It does not change the other signals.

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The evidence

Market & competition

Our directory lists 1 food & drink businesses in East Garafraxa (61 county-wide).

Lumbersnacks Bakehouse

Our directory is incomplete. A low count is not proof of demand.

Gaps nearby

🗺 Restaurant (all) in East Garafraxa: 0 mapped vs ~2.3 expected; nearest Kelly's Korner Restaurant (~5.7 km) · score 59
🗺 Fast food / takeout in East Garafraxa: 0 mapped vs ~2 expected; nearest Olympic Pizza (~8 km) · score 55

Open full map

People & demand

Population 2021: 2,794 (8.3% since 2016)
Median household income: $137,000
Participation: 71.1%
Unemployment: 8.7%
Commute out of town: 87.1%
Renters: 8.3%

Verified fact StatCan 2021 Census.

Costs: wages & workforce

Job (NOC)	Region $/h	Ontario $/h
Restaurant and food service managers (60030)	27.47	27.47
Chefs (62200)	22	22
Cooks (63200)	18	18
Food and beverage servers (65200)	18	17.6
Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations (65201)	17.6	17.6
Food service supervisors (62020)	19.23	19

Verified fact Job Bank 2025, ER3540.

Business counts Verified fact

Industry	NAICS code	East Garafraxa	Dufferin
Food services and drinking places	722	3	116
Full-service and limited-service eating places	7225	2	108
Accommodation and food services (all)	72	6	127

Business locations with employees, January 2026. Business locations with employees, counted where each establishment is located. Excludes businesses without employees (sole proprietors, most home businesses). Source: Statistics Canada, January 2026 (released 2026-08-14).

NOC = National Occupational Classification, Canada's standard job codes used for wage data. NAICS = North American Industry Classification System, the standard industry codes used for business counts. Codes link to the official Statistics Canada definitions (NOC 2021 Version 1.0, NAICS Canada 2022 Version 1.0).

Census industry employment Verified fact

Accommodation and food services employs 6.9% of the labour force living in East Garafraxa, vs 5.2% county-wide and 5.3% in Ontario.

Share of the employed labour force living in the area (by place of residence), 2021 Census. Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 (income: 2020).

Wages for key occupations Verified fact

Occupation	NOC code	Low	Median	High	Ontario median
Restaurant and food service managers	60030	$17.60	$27.47	$48.08	$27.47
Chefs	62200	$17.60	$22.00	$34.19	$22.00
Cooks	63200	$17.60	$18.00	$24.00	$18.00
Food and beverage servers	65200	$17.60	$18.00	$28.00	$17.60
Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations	65201	$17.60	$17.60	$20.00	$17.60
Food service supervisors	62020	$17.60	$19.23	$24.43	$19.00
Bartenders	64301	$17.60	$20.00	$33.00	$20.00

Hourly wages, economic region ER3540 Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie (includes Dufferin), Job Bank 2025. "–" = not published for the region. Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, 2025 wages (mostly Labour Force Survey 2023–2024), revised 2025-11-19.

East Garafraxa at a glance Verified fact

Commuting: 87.1% of commuters with a usual workplace work outside East Garafraxa.
Labour force participation 71.1%, unemployment 8.7% (county 69.3%, 10%).
Median household income (2020) $137,000 (county $108,000).
Renter households 8.3%; median tenant shelter cost $1,140/month.
CMHC rent data is published for Orangeville only (average $1,532, October 2025).

Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 (income: 2020); Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, October 2025.

Internet and transit Verified fact

Broadband: in 6 of 6 ISED hexagons in East Garafraxa, more than 75% of households can get 50/10 Mbps.

East Garafraxa: Garafraxa Woods · 107 homes and businesses · Complete (SWIFT)

Providers: Rogers 1-888-764-3771 (check). All provider contacts

ISED hexagons (~24 km²) assigned by centre; share of hexagons where more than 75% of households can get 50/10 Mbps. Source: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, files dated 2026-05-05; provider details checked 2026-10-20 on official sites.

No GO Transit stops in East Garafraxa (GTFS feed 20261005110625).

JSON for this section · All data

Space, utilities & internet

No reviewed listings in East Garafraxa yet.

All properties

Power: Hydro One
Gas: Enbridge Gas is the county's gas utility; confirm the address with Enbridge
Water: Municipal water in Marsville; elsewhere ask the township about wells and septic
Internet: Rogers SWIFT fibre in Garafraxa Woods; Cogeco in Marsville area; see /data#fibre

Verified fact Utilities page

Property tax: see residential, commercial and industrial rates for this town

Next steps

Your plan

Talk to the free SBEC before spending money.
Visit the area and the comparable businesses; talk to owners.
Shortlist locations and check zoning with the municipality.
Draft a business plan and cash flow, then check funding.

Open the permits & registration checklist

Build my business starter plan

Money

Starter Company Plus Check intake
Province of Ontario, delivered locally by the Orangeville & Area SBEC · up to $5,000

Community Futures business loans Open
Community Futures South Georgian Bay (serves Dufferin County)

Summer Company Closed
Province of Ontario, delivered by Small Business Enterprise Centres · up to $3,000

Funding finder (3)

Find a space: commercial realtors

The Mullin Group (Mike Mullin, Broker; Shane Mullin, REALTOR®)
Royal LePage RCR Realty · 519-827-2119

Amanda Ross, Sales Representative
RE/MAX Real Estate Centre Inc. · 519-942-8700

Ann Butler, Sales Representative
iCloud Realty Ltd. · 519-940-0004

James Tasca, Broker of Record
ICI Source Real Asset Services Inc. · 855-517-6424

Listed for information, not an endorsement. WhyDufferin is independent and receives nothing for these listings. Check any agent's registration on the RECO public register before you work with them. All

Utilities & internet

Power: Hydro One
Gas: Enbridge Gas is the county's gas utility; confirm the address with Enbridge
Water: Municipal water in Marsville; elsewhere ask the township about wells and septic
Internet: Rogers SWIFT fibre in Garafraxa Woods; Cogeco in Marsville area; see /data#fibre

Verified fact Utilities page

Property tax: see residential, commercial and industrial rates for this town

Who to call

Weigh it up

See East Garafraxa side by side with another community, same business and budget.

Compare with another town

WhyDufferin is independent and not affiliated with Dufferin County. General information, not legal, financial or real-estate advice.